


Thrill Seekers

by MistMarauder



Category: The Magnificent Seven (2016)
Genre: Explicit Language, M/M, Minor Violence, the Mr. and Mrs. Smith AU that nobody wanted
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-29
Updated: 2017-03-29
Packaged: 2018-10-12 16:23:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10494819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistMarauder/pseuds/MistMarauder
Summary: Faraday didn’t wake up that morning expecting to shoot his own husband. Funny how some things work out.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hazel_Athena](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hazel_Athena/gifts).



> HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HAZEL_ATHENA!!
> 
> I love you so much, bby. You deserve a mountain of Varaday to help you celebrate. <3
> 
> Unfortunately, this is all my non-writer's brain was able to produce for you at the moment. So, you get a pebble instead of a mountain. :P
> 
> (Special thanks to Decoy_Ocelot for the beta! And to both she and Cambetaut for helping me struggle my way through this fic. Much love, darlings. And another thanks to Kat2107 for fixing those damnable tenses. <3)

 

Faraday didn’t wake up before Vasquez often enough to make breakfast in bed a common occurrence, so perhaps it wasn’t surprising that he burned the fucking toast. He scowled down at it before shrugging. Whatever. Alejandro would eat anything. And the eggs and bacon looked fine. He eyed them both warily before spinning around as he heard someone enter the kitchen.

Alejandro had entered with sleepy eyes and mussed hair, and Joshua tried to scowl at him for ruining his breakfast plans before giving up and letting fondness flood through him.

“Is that bacon, guero?” Alejandro approached and reached behind him to snag a piece off the plate. Joshua couldn’t help grinning as the other man hummed in contentment and closed his eyes, leaning against the counter. His grin only widened as he watched the man bite into a blackened piece of toast and wander over to the fridge to pull out the gallon of milk and pour himself a glass.

“Not bad,” he said as he pulled down a plate to cover with eggs, bacon, and more less-than-perfect toast before shuffling over to the table and falling hard into his preferred seat. Faraday snorted before making a plate of his own and following.

He stretched his feet out and slunk one foot up the other man’s leg as he shoved a forkful of eggs into his mouth. “So, what are you doing today?”

“We are still working on that house over in Greenwood,” Vasquez replied with his mouth full. “What about you?”

Joshua felt something in his chest twist as he prepared another lie. How many did that make? God, he’d lost count.

“Same old, same old. Boss wants me to wrap up fixing that ‘65 Corvette today. Might have to stay late.”

Vasquez grunted in response, scooping eggs on top of his toast and taking a bite that sent some of the eggs falling back onto his plate. “Are we still going out with Emma and Matthew this weekend?” He pushed his empty plate away and watched Vasquez shove the last of his eggs into his mouth before responding.

“Sí. She has a gallery show, and she wants us there. So, do not get roped into working overtime.” Vasquez pointed his fork at him, and Faraday stretched in his chair before standing.

“I know. I know.” He leaned over and kissed Vasquez on the temple before dropping his plate in the sink. “I’m going to take a shower.” He shot a sly grin back towards the table where Vasquez was still sitting. “Join me?”

He got a flash of white teeth in response.

  


“Full house.” Faraday laughed as groans erupted from around the table, and he raked in the cash that had accumulated in the pot.

“Yer a fuckin’ cheater,” said the man across from him.

Faraday had been calling him One-Eye all night, so maybe it wasn’t a surprise that the other man was sore after being beaten by him. Faraday winked his right eye at him before leaning back in his chair and stretching his arms above his head.

“Well, boys. I’m sorry to say that I’m gonna have to cut this evening short.”

Before anyone could react, he had kicked the table forward and sent himself flying back pulling out two guns and landing a bullet in the two men on either side of him.

The two across the table had each drawn weapons as they stumbled backwards away from the piece of furniture, and he dived right to avoid the returning fire before lifting his gun and firing back. One-Eye went down hard, slamming into the shelves behind him, while the one remaining man from the table tried to make for the door while continuing to fire in Faraday’s direction.

Faraday had moved to use the desk near the window as cover and peeked around the side toward the door. He watched as the man crouched down with his gun still aimed to fumble something from One-Eye’s coat pocket and stick it in his own. Eyes wide and lips trembling, the man was stupid enough to turn and present his back as he tried to exit the door. He ended up with a bullet in the back of his head.

  


Faraday always got a kick out of intimidating Bogue’s assistant. He was a mousy little man with absolutely no spine, and all it took was a stern look to get him shaking. So, showing off his guns by holding them up to the light and pretending to inspect them was an easy way to get the man to let him into Bogue’s office even though the man himself wasn’t there yet, and Faraday threw himself into one of the chairs on the other side of Bogue’s desk before propping his feet up and making himself comfortable.

He was starting to doze off by the time the man entered, and was woken by his drawled greeting of “Mr. Faraday. So nice to see you made it back in one piece.”

Faraday took a breath as he watched the man get settled before letting out a simple statement.

“I’m done.”

“Excuse me?”

“Done. Finished. Getting the fuck out. I’ve had enough. I’m ready to settle down.”

Bogue leaned back in his chair eying Joshua critically. “I’m afraid it’s not that simple.”

“For me, it is.” Faraday tossed the flash drive he’d been throwing in the air to Bogue across the desk. “They seemed eager to hide this, so I figured you’d probably want it. Let me know where the payment is being dropped off. After that, I don’t want to hear from you again.”

Bogue scowled and leaned forward, looking as though he were going to stand.

“You can’t just walk out.”

Faraday laughed walking backwards toward the door. “Watch me.”

  


Vasquez looked over the man sleeping next to him with his face mashed into Vasquez’s shoulder. He had come home late last night, which in all honestly was good for Vasquez as he had been stuck hunting a target with Red for longer than anticipated. He hadn’t exactly had a story prepared, so being greeted by an empty house elicited a sigh of relief that he’d immediately felt guilty for.

What kind of husband was relieved to come home to an empty house. Alejandro scowled at himself but let the expression fall as the man next to him let out a light snore.

Fuck.

What if he hadn’t come home last night? What if he’d been identified? Joshua was a lot of things, but trained to defend himself in something more than a bar fight, he was not. He didn’t particularly want to leave his job with Emma and the others, but lying all the time was tiresome.

He didn’t know how Emma did it with Matthew. Yes, the woman did some painting in her free time, but did the man honestly think she was bringing home that kind of money with artwork? She wasn’t exactly well known.

Then again, Joshua wasn’t much better. He trusted every word that left Vasquez’s mouth. He’d never given him a reason not to. Turning slightly onto his side, he heard the other man let out a soft groan before shushing him and murmuring some calming words in his mother tongue.

Lying was worth it, he decided, petting the other man’s hair and looking down at him seriously. It protected him.

But maybe he should get a dog just in case.

  


“I think I should get a dog,” Vasquez said.

Emma looked over at him startled. “What?”

“A dog. For Joshua, I mean.”

“What would Joshua want with a dog?”

Vasquez rolled his eyes at her before explaining his thoughts from that morning. “I am in a very dangerous line of work, sí?”

Vasquez allowed himself a moment of distraction as the ball Red had been bouncing against the wall on the other side of the room hit at an odd angle and knocked over a glass on Jack’s desk.

“So, if I am not there and someone comes looking for me, the dog could warn him and help protect him.” He turned back to her. “I would worry less.”

Emma leaned back in her chair. “Well, I don’t see how it could hurt.”

Before she could continue, Sam opened the door and walked into the room holding a folder that promptly landed on Vas’s desk. “Your newest target.”

Vasquez sat up straight and opened the folder with a solemn expression.

“Who is it?” Emma asked.

Sam looked at her. “One of Bartholomew Bogue’s assassins. The Jack of Hearts.”

Emma’s face darkened. The Jack of Hearts was notorious. He always completed his jobs, and he always left a bloody mess of a crime scene behind when he did it. How he had not been caught yet was a mystery to them all.

“The Jack of Hearts is a woman?” Vasquez asked surprised, looking at the only picture in the file which was of a pretty dark haired woman wearing bright red lipstick.

“Did you think they couldn’t be?” Emma retorted, and Vasquez shot her an apologetic glance.

“Lo siento. I did not mean it that way.”

“No. He’s not.” Sam answered, and the two of them redirected their attention back to him. “This is the woman he will be meeting. According to our client, she is meeting him to drop off the payment for his most recent job this afternoon at a restaurant on the corner of 5th Street and Perkins at the edge of town. That is how you will identify him. I’ve done extensive checks on her and confirmed numerous connections to Bogue and his dealings.”

Vasquez grunted. “So, we follow her, use her to identify the Jack, and take him out once the opportunity presents itself. It almost seems too easy.”

“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. I’m trusting the two of you with this. Get to work.”

  


“You hired whom!?”

Harp squeaked before answering the other man. He hadn’t dared to take a seat in one of chairs Bogue provided for his guests.  “I sent her to hire one of Chisolm’s men. They have some of the best-”

“I know who they are, you idiot! And Mr. Faraday’s husband is one of them! Even though I’m fairly certain our Mr. Faraday is unaware of that fact, he won’t be for very long thanks to you. Once they figure out who we’ve sent them after, they won’t kill him, you fool. Do you think it’s a coincidence that Mr. Faraday removed himself from my employ after finding this?” Here Bogue held up a flash drive and threw it on top of his desk before glancing over at McCann. “Fix this.”

McCann straightened before replying. “Yes, sir.”

“And you…” Bogue said turning back to Harp.

Harp looked back at him fearfully. Bogue didn’t say another word - just raised his arm and shot the other man in the chest.

  


Vasquez hated earpieces with a passion, and he grimaced as he took up residence between some of the trees across from the diner. It was a little hole in the wall place with a faded sign that Vasquez didn’t even pretend he could read, and he had a clear view through the windows from where he was camouflaged between the trees.

Emma was waiting a block away in the van, and would not stop talking to him like it was his first time out in the field.

“You have a clear visual, right? And everything is set up and ready to go? Keep your finger on the trigger! We need this to be quick and clean, so we can get out of here as soon as possible-”

“¡Madre de Dios! ¡No soy un niño así cállate!”

“Don’t tell me to shut up! I’m trying to make sure everything goes well and we make it out of here without getting caught!”

Vasquez grumbled back at her while he set up his rifle.

“You do this every time! I do not need you to hold my hand, mujer!” Vasquez groaned and rolled his eyes up towards the sky as Emma basically exploded in his ear.

He let her continue ranting as he got down on one knee and looked through the scope toward where the woman they had been sent to watch stood up to greet a dark-haired figure.

“Be quiet! He’s here.”

Emma went silent immediately, and he watched as the two shook hands and sat down at the table once more. He aimed carefully at the man, but before he could take the shot, he lost his visual as a bomb went off in the diner.

“¡Que chingados!” he yelped lifting a hand to protect his eyes from the dust.

“What the fuck just happened!? What was that?”

“¡No sé! I can’t see!”

“Vas, get the fuck out of there! We need to go!”

Vasquez tried blinking away the dust as he attempted to focus. He tried to tune out Emma’s panicked words as his eyes scanned the people running out into the street.

“Someone blew up the restaurant,” he said interrupting her.

“What!? Vas, we have to go _now_.”

Vasquez’s eye’s narrowed on the dark-haired figure he had been aiming at earlier as the man stumbled out of the front of the restaurant with his face buried in his jacket.

“Wait! I can still get him!”

“There’s no time! The police have to be on their way! Get out of there right the fuck now!” Vasquez ignored her as he took aim at the man.

“I can hit him.” As he went to fire, Emma’s scream for him to stop startled him enough that the shot went slightly to the right of the man, hitting the car next to him.

“Maldito,” he murmured.

The man’s eyes locked on Alejandro’s location, and Alejandro watched his body tense up before the man threw himself behind the vehicle next to him.

“What did you do? I told you to abort!” Vasquez grimaced as he reached up to his earpiece.

“¡Relájate! I’m coming now!”

  


Joshua was in shock.

That was Alejandro! _What the fuck!?_

Why was _Alejandro_ shooting at him?

Joshua stayed ducked down behind a car with his jacket covering the bottom of his face to avoid inhaling dust as people continued to leave the building. He chanced a glance over at the hidden gunman and noticed he was staring straight at Joshua’s hiding place while frowning and pressing against the earpiece he was wearing. He obviously didn’t like what he was hearing, and his lips moved as he started to respond. Alejandro was obviously waiting for Joshua to reveal himself, but that was _not_ going to happen.

Joshua slid down to the ground and kept himself as low as possible as he moved along the cars lined on the side of the road. He was going to circle around and find out _what the fuck was going on_.

Glancing back over at Vasquez, he saw the other man quickly putting his rifle back into its case. He was no longer paying enough attention to be able to shoot Faraday before he could get his own guns and shoot the other first. No matter how queasy the thought made him.

Then he made what was probably the stupidest decision of his life and stood up looking straight at the other man before tearing the wig from his head and unzipping his jacket from where it had covered his chin and mouth.

Vasquez had looked over with furrowed brows - the same furrowed brows that appeared when Faraday left dirty underwear in the living room _again_ \- and his eyes widened as he took Faraday in for a moment. Faraday frowned. Did he not realize his shots had missed earlier and was just waiting to make sure Faraday stayed down?

Faraday threw out his arms to either side trying to convey a ‘Bring it on’ vibe with his stance alone and watched as Vasquez ripped out his earpiece and started patting himself down. Faraday watched suspiciously before the other man pulled out what looked to be and was soon confirmed to be a phone before dialing a number and holding it to his head.

Faraday took a moment to be suspicious before feeling something start to vibrate in his pocket. He didn’t take his eyes off Vasquez as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his own phone before answering it.

“What the hell are you doing!?”

“What the fuck, guero!? Why are you here!?”

“Why are you fucking shooting at me!?”

“I didn’t know it was you!”

“Do you normally shoot at people without knowing who they are first!?”

“What? No! We can’t do this right now! Grab your car! Meet me at the house!”

“Why!? So you can shoot at me in the comfort of my own home!?”

“¡Cállate! ¡Solo hazlo!”

“I still don’t speak Mexican, asshole!”

Faraday was still on the phone and almost to his car when the vehicle went up in flames.

The force of the explosion knocked him backwards and off his feet, and there was a loud ringing in his ears as he stared up at the sky dazed. After a long moment, Vasquez’s frantic voice managed to make itself heard from where his phone landed a few inches from his face.

He groaned as he turned and placed one arm beneath him in an attempt to push himself up from the ground, glancing over his shoulder at the place his car had once been parked. His baby was _on fire._

He sat on the concrete and stared for a moment in disbelief as people started running out from the restaurants and shops around him to stare at the spectacle. Then he scowled darkly, grabbed his phone, and hobbled away from the sight pushing himself through the gathering crowd before swerving into a nearby alley and taking shelter behind a dumpster.

He growled before snapping and cutting off Vasquez’s increasingly frantic questions. “Shut the fuck up, you lying piece of shit. I can’t believe I trusted you even for a second after you fucking shot at me. So don’t you dare play innocent with me, _Alejandro_.”

Vasquez’s voice came back rushed, his accent thick. “There you are, guero! What happened!? Are you okay?”

“You fucking liar. You fucking lying murdering son of a bitch. You have some serious balls. ‘Grab your car and come to the house, Joshua. I didn’t know it was you, Joshua.’ Then coincidentally my car blows up as I’m walking up to it? That was fucking low. You could at least have the decency to face me like a fucking man and not blow me up from some hideout like a goddamn coward.”

“I don’t know what-” Vasquez began, but Faraday cut him off with a few graphic threats and ended the call before throwing his phone against the wall across from him and watching it break into pieces. Only one place stood out as being a safe location for the time being, and he quickly grabbed a cab before giving it directions to a nearby street. Hopefully, Billy wouldn’t stab him for showing up unannounced this time.

  


“Do you want me to kill him? You know I will.”

Vasquez’s head snapped to the side before he bit back savagely. “Don’t you dare go near him, puta!”

Emma was grinning smugly back at him, and he bit back a growl as her grin fell and indignance took it’s place. “What the hell did you just call me?”

Vasquez just turned and glared balefully up at the ceiling fan in Emma’s living room in lieu of responding. He was sprawled out in front of the couch with his legs propped up on the old piece of furniture while Emma was curled up in an armchair to his right. He closed his eyes for a moment and let out a shaking breath.

“Emma, he hates me.”

Emma’s face softened. “He doesn’t hate you.”

“He thinks I tried to kill him.”

“That doesn’t mean he hates you.”

Vasquez propped himself up on one elbow and looked disdainfully at where Emma was sitting wrapped up in a blanket Matthew’s mother had made her for her birthday.

“He threatened to rip my balls off and shove them down my throat the next time he sees me.”

“If you don’t get off my floor and stop acting like a child, I’ll do far worse.”

Vasquez glowered at her in response before flopping back down onto the carpet and glaring at a piece of dust hanging from one of the fan blades. Did Matthew never clean this place? Lord knows Emma didn’t.

“The important question here is ‘Who planted a bomb in your husband’s car?’”

Vasquez let his feet fall from the couch and quickly sat up straight.

“¡Hijo de puta! No pensé sobre eso.”

“Of course you didn’t. You need me to think for you.”

Vasquez ignored her.

“Who would want him dead? You’re the only person in our agency I’ve informed of his identity. ¡Mierda! Do you think it’s just a coincidence that someone besides us is after him?”

“No.” Emma said blandly. “I don’t.”

Vasquez sighed.

“I don’t either.” he said darkly.

“I would suggest talking to your husband, but I suppose that’s out of the question.”

Vasquez managed to look disgruntled and turned to prop his elbow on her coffee table and balance his head on his hand.

“No, you’re right. I should talk to him, but how do I get him to listen to me?”

Emma shrugged and leaned back. “How am I supposed to know. You’re the one who married that moron; you figure it out.”

Vasquez’s shoulders slumped. “Joshua es un bastardo obstinado. It’s hopeless.”

He let his arm fall from where it was supporting his head, and brought up one of his knees to rest his forehead on it.

Emma made a loud sound of disgust and kicked herself free of her blanket before standing up from her chair and grabbing Vasquez by the ear. She pulled viciously, and the sharp pain forced him to his feet spluttering.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” He shouted, shocked.

“I’ve had enough of this. We are going to tell the others what’s going on and figure out a plan to get you and your idiot back to being sickeningly in love all over the place.”

Vasquez went to open his mouth and tell her that she and Matthew certainly weren’t any better when she cut him a sharp glance. Vasquez huffed.

“Fine.” Emma smiled and let go of his ear.

His hand immediately went up to rub it as though he could rub away the pain if he tried hard enough, and he took a step back scowling at her.

“Good.” She said lightly as she walked over towards the door and grabbed her keys. “Let’s go then.”

  


“He’s a fuckin’ liar! He’s been playin’ me this entire time!” Faraday paced in front of Billy who was slouched down on the couch with Goody spread out next to him.

“You don’t know that.” Billy pointed out calmly before taking a drag of his cigarette and passing it over to Goodnight.

“I know enough! I know my husband is a goddamned killer. That he spent five fuckin’ years telling me he worked construction, and I just smiled and accepted it like a goddamned fool. Why the fuck didn’t I ever notice anything off about him? Christ Almighty! Am I that fucking blind? What else was a lie? Is his family really dead? Is Emma really an artist? Maybe she’s a fucking killer too! Did the fucker even graduate from college? I don’t know anymore!”

“Joshua, you need to calm down.” Goody started.

“How the hell can you expect me to calm down?” Faraday had stopped pacing and had turned to face them both. His face was red and blotchy, and he’d gotten louder and louder as he went on. “I lived with him! I slept with him! I made him fucking breakfast in the mornings! I took care of him when he was sick! I -”

“You loved him.” Goody interrupted seriously.

Joshua stopped and his shoulders slumped for a moment before he brought himself back to up to his full height and crossed his arms defensively.

“I didn’t love that lying bastard. I apparently didn’t even know that Spanish speaking double-crossing son of a bitch!”

Goody looked back at him unamused.

“There’s no reason to go insulting the man’s mother now, Joshua. And I do hope you realize you’re a raging hypocrite.”

“What?” Joshua was practically screeching at this point, and Goody flinched a bit at the sound.

“You kept your occupation from him as well, did you not?”

“That was for his own good. I was protecting him.” Faraday snapped back.

Billy snorted. “Maybe he was doing the same thing.”

Faraday shifted his glare before responding.

“If he were trying to protect me, he wouldn’t have tried to blow me the fuck up!”

“Good point.” Billy took another drag of his cigarette, and Goodnight shot him an irritated glance looking as though he’d have liked to knock the cigarette from his hand in spite. He just shook his head instead and focused his attention back on Faraday.

“Joshua. Just because he’s the one who asked you to grab your car doesn’t mean he’s the one who planted that bomb.”

Joshua looked at him speculatively for a moment before shrugging it off and snorting.

“I’m not getting sucked into all that optimism bull shit. It’s only gonna get me killed. I’m gonna kill that fucker before he can kill me. Are you gonna help me or not?”

Goody rolled his eyes and glanced over at Billy who looked as though he couldn’t care less what his decision might be. Goodnight sighed.

“I’m not helping you kill your husband, Joshua.”

Faraday reeled back, eyes flashing before lowering his voice dangerously.

“Well, fuck you too then, Goody. Some friends you turned out to be.”

Billy stiffened as Faraday met his eyes, and Goodnight scowled and ground his teeth together in irritation. Before he could respond, Faraday had snatched his keys off the coffee table and stomped out the door, slamming it behind him.

  


Joshua couldn’t help but feel like an idiot as he slunk around to the back of his own house and tested the windows looking for a way in. His gun was tucked into the back of his jeans, and he had to hold back a shout of triumph when he discovered the window to their bedroom was unlocked.

He worked to loosen and remove the screen before carefully opening the window. Grimacing at the dead spider on the windowsill that they both avoided cleaning, he tried to carefully and quietly pull himself inside. However, being careful quickly became a thing of the past as the bedroom door started to open letting in light from the hallway.

Joshua tripped and crashed through the open window ducking down along the side of the bed. He flew up and aimed his gun at a wide-eyed Alejandro before firing.

Vasquez was just quick enough to move out of the way cursing all the while.

“Damn it, guero! Would you listen to me-”

“No! You fuckin’ liar!”

“I didn’t blow up your car, puta!”

“The fuck you didn’t! You’re the one who told me to grab it just after trying to gun me the fuck down!”

“If I had wanted to kill you, I’d have just done it while you were asleep or poisoned that slop you call oatmeal! I would not have gone through all this trouble!”

And that was certainly a good point.

Faraday lifted himself up on his knees glaring at Alejandro the entire way and keeping his gun trained on the doorway. Alejandro had reappeared with both arms raised in surrender and was visibly tense. However, his eyes were locked in Faraday’s face - not his gun, and Faraday felt his shoulders relaxing a bit and lowered his gun slightly.

“What the hell is going on then?”

“I don’t know! I just know that I was sent to kill you!”

“Well, you certainly tried!”

Alejandro let out a noise of frustration and grabbed his hair with both hands.

“¡No sabía que eras tú! I have told you this already!”

A knock at the door startled them both, and Joshua actually snarled at the other man. “And who the fuck is that?”

“How should I know?”

“Wrong answer.” Joshua trained his gun back on the doorway.

“Fucking puta! ¡Deja de ser un idiota!”

“And to think, _V_. I actually thought I loved you.” Joshua fired at the same time that Vasquez leapt to the side and out of view. Joshua quickly jumped to his feet and made his way to the door to follow, but by the time he reached the hallway, Vasquez was out of sight. He slowly made his way down the hall with his gun poised and ready, and he could hear Vasquez shout something through the front door. A moment later he saw the face of Emma Cullen through the living room window as he turned the corner.

So, he brought backup, did he? Joshua pulled himself back around the corner into the hallway as the front door closed.

“¡Guero! Come out!”

“Ha! I’m not going to make it _that_ easy on you, _sweetheart_.”

“For the twentieth time, I am not trying to kill you!”

“Tell that to your gun!”

“You shot at me first!”

“If you think back, I think you’ll realize that I most certainly did not!”

“I thought I was shooting at one of Bogue’s men!”

“I am one of Bogue’s men!”

Vasquez froze before choking out a startled “What? ¿Trabajas para ese hijo de puta?”

Faraday pressed himself up against the wall between the living room and the hallway leading to the front door  “All I got out of that was bitch.”

Vasquez growled, and Faraday heard him walk into living room. He used that moment to run lightly across the hall and dart into the kitchen.

“You are working for a murderous psychopath!?”

Faraday snorted in response pressing himself against the wall once more. He was about to edge through the kitchen’s other opening when Vasquez stepped through it with a scowl on his face.

Faraday let out a startled yelp before bringing up his free hand to punch the other man square in the jaw.

When Vasquez stumbled back cursing, Faraday turned to head back the way he came, but before he could take more than a step, Vasquez had lunged for him - slamming them both into the wooden table.

“Do you know what kind of man Bogue is, cabrón?” Vasquez snarled out trying to pin the other man down. “He’s the kind of man that sells little girls and rapes and slaughters women. What kind of man does that make you?”

Faraday’s eyes widened and he stuttered as he fought to pull himself free.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, asshole!”

Faraday managed to bring his knee up into the other man’s stomach, and Vasquez released his breath in a wheeze as Faraday pulled free.

As Vasquez straightened, Faraday lifted one leg and kicked him back into the wall before aiming his gun. Before he could fire, Vasquez had rolled out of the way before coming up and grabbing the arm holding his weapon and bringing it behind his back. Faraday felt blood gush from his nose as his face slammed into the wall in the exact spot Vasquez had hit before. Vasquez was growling in his ear, and they were pressed so close together that Faraday could feel the line of him down his back as well as the heat of his breath on his neck.

“I knew something was wrong when you were at the restaurant earlier, but I never expected something like this. Bogue? How many innocents have you killed on his orders?”

Faraday grunted as Vasquez tightened his grip and shoved him harder into the wall. Faraday froze as Vasquez’s other arm came around him, and he felt cold steel press underneath his chin. Faraday tried to catch his breath as he heard Vasquez let out a low stream of laughter.

“You know what, _guero_?”

“What?” Faraday huffed.

“I actually thought this had to be some kind of misunderstanding. That we would figure out what was going on and tackle it together once you stopped acting like an idiot. But knowing this, even your own mother would want you dead.”

Faraday’s breath hitched in response, and his head flew backwards and caught Vasquez square in the nose.

The other man howled and released him - allowing him to slip across the hall into the living room. He turned around and aimed his gun at the door running high on adrenaline and rage. Once the other man came into view with a thunderous expression and blood running down the front of his face, Faraday fired.

The silence was sudden and deafening, and Joshua could feel his face go slack in surprise and fear when he saw Alejandro clutch his left bicep and let out a sharp cry of pain.

Joshua looked down at his own gun in bewilderment and felt his grip go slack before looking back up at Alejandro - _or should he call him Vasquez now?_ \- in panic and taking a step towards the other man before he could think about all the reasons why that was an extremely bad idea. His eyes were focused on Vasquez’s wound, and all of the indignation and anger rushed out of him to be swiftly replaced with guilt and horror.

_What had he done?_

He’d shot his _husband_. Granted, the other man had been playing him all along, and this was a sham of a marriage, and the fucker had shot at him first-

Where was he going with this? _Fuck._

Vasquez had stumbled around to the other side of the leather couch that took up most of the space in their living room, and was pointing his gun at Joshua shakily with his uninjured arm. Blood was soaking the white cloth of his sleeve, and he was glaring at Joshua with such hatred and rage that he involuntarily flinched back. Before he could help himself though, words came spilling out of his mouth in a rush despite how unwelcome he had no doubt they were.

“V, are you-”

Vasquez’s gun was cocked before he could finish, and Joshua had his gun pointed at the other man again out of pure instinct.

“¡Cállate, hijo de puta traicionero!”

Joshua felt some of his earlier rage return at the obvious insult, but Vasquez’s blown pupils and quiet panting helped keep him together.

He couldn’t do this.

_He couldn’t do this._

He let his arm drop to his side, and stared at the other man feeling completely lost. What had happened. _He loved this man_. He thought back to just that morning and Vasquez’s laughter when Joshua had gotten tangled in the sheets trying to get out of bed and fallen down spectacularly.

_What had happened between then and now?_

Did Vasquez truly care nothing for him? The man had tightened his grip on his gun and was now regarding Joshua somewhat warily.

Joshua closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath before slowly kneeling and laying his gun on the floor in front of him. He stood back up and looked at the blood dripping from Vasquez’s arm and nose onto their cream colored carpet before meeting his confused gaze. His gun was still pointed at Joshua’s face, but the man had yet to shoot since his own injury and subsequent retreat.

The guilt at having caused Vasquez any kind of suffering was overwhelming him, and he wanted to fall to his knees in front of the man and beg for forgiveness. Joshua couldn’t help but laugh at himself mockingly for that. Him. Ask forgiveness from a man who had been lying to him all along. However, it was clear to him in that moment that it didn’t matter what this marriage had been to _Alejandro_. To Joshua, it was real. It was the most important relationship he’d ever had with another human being. Joshua took a deep breath and let it out slowly before meeting the man’s eyes and speaking.

“Go ahead then, V. Take the shot.”

  


Vasquez stared at the man across from him - hand trembling. This man worked for the fucker that had slaughtered Sam’s family. Oh fuck. What would Emma say? Vasquez swallowed back the bile that tried to rise in the back of his throat.

Joshua was staring at him with a resigned look on his face. As though he knew Vasquez was going to shoot him and accepted that.

“Just answer me this, guero. How could you work for him?” Vasquez choked out.

Faraday stared back at him before answering slowly. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about, Vas. I think it’s become pretty damn obvious that neither one of us can really be called a saint.”

Vasquez snarled. “The difference there, cabrón, is that I kill men who deserve it!”

Vasquez watched the other man wet his lips and swallow while eying Vasquez’s gun warily.

“From what I’ve been told, the men I’ve killed weren’t exactly innocent either!” Vasquez stared at him incredulously.

“You cannot be serious! ¡Tú idiota! Bogue kills men who get in his way. Who are an inconvenience to him! Or who simply make him angry! You have probably killed men solely because they refused to do his bidding! ¡Eres un tonto!”

Vasquez was panting and could taste the blood from his nose as it dripped onto his lips and into his mouth. He couldn’t feel the pain in his arm or face though as adrenaline rushed through him, and rage and disbelief clouded his ability to think.

“I don’t even work for him anymore! I quit yesterday!”

“That doesn’t change anything!”

“Even though I quit for you!?”

Vasquez went still, but before he could respond, he heard the front door slam open and Emma’s voice from the foyer yelling about having heard a gunshot. When she stormed around the corner, her eyes narrowed on Faraday’s bloody nose and his gun on the ground in front of him before quickly switching over to Vasquez’s similarly bloody face and limb. Her eyes went wide and she practically screeched at Joshua as she lunged in his direction.

“How fucking dare you!”

Faraday’s arms came up in front of him in a sign of surrender - similar to the way Vasquez had held his arms up earlier in the bedroom, and he backed away wide-eyed.

“You son of a bitch!” She reached behind her, presumably to pull out a gun but stopped short when Vasquez barked her name. She looked at him in bewilderment. “He fucking shot you, Vas!”

Vasquez lifted his injured arm and rubbed at the bridge of his nose - closing his eyes and letting out a long breath. He could feel some of his earlier anger draining away.

“He thought he was defending himself,” he said simply. “He did what he had to do. Besides, it’s just a graze. I’ll be fine.”

Emma glared darkly at Joshua before storming in Vasquez’s direction and pulling up his sleeve to get a closer look and hissing at the wound.

“We are going to the bathroom to get you cleaned up. You stay here!” She barked in Faraday’s direction before dragging Vasquez by his uninjured arm towards the hall bathroom.

Vasquez just followed behind her blankly and stared down at his arm silently as she cleaned and wrapped the wound. She was cursing him, and Faraday, and every God he’d ever heard of. He sighed and cut her off.

“He works for Bogue.”

She froze. “...He what?”

Vasquez laughed somewhat hysterically. “He says he quit _yesterday_.”

Emma looked at him seriously.

“Bogue has to be the one who wants him dead. You know no one leaves Bogue’s service alive. He must have hired us through a third party. Damn.” Emma growled looking off thoughtfully.

“Did you not hear me? He worked for Bogue! The man who killed Sam’s family!” Emma looked back at him with a frown.

“Well, I’m sure he didn’t know that.”

Vasquez was taken aback. “Still!”

“Still, nothing. I was just informed that there’s a hit out for you now as well. The bastard must know that you two are married. We have no time for this. We have to go.”

Emma secured the gauze and looked up at him seriously. “And he’s coming with us. Not because I give a flying fuck about him right now, but I know you do even if you’ll deny it. So, get yourself together.”

Vasquez stared at her in shock, and her face softened slightly.

“We’re going to figure this out, okay? Let’s just get somewhere safe for now.”

Vasquez nodded.

 

 

Following her out of the bathroom and back into the living room, they found Faraday sitting on the couch with his head in his hands, and two guns sitting on the coffee table in front of him. His head came up quickly when he heard them enter and he had a somewhat lost look on his face as his gaze moved back and forth between the two of them.

Vasquez watched Emma’s eyebrows scrunch together before she covered her face in a bland mask. “Get up, Faraday. You’re coming with us.”

Alejandro was actually saddened for a second at the sudden distance between the two. Emma and Joshua had always gotten on eerily well. Making crude jokes and teasing Vasquez together whenever they got the chance. His thoughts were interrupted though by Joshua’s reply.

“So, you’re not going to kill me?”

Vasquez almost laughed at the irritation that flashed across Emma’s face before she responded.

“No! Unfortunately, idiocy is not a crime worthy of death!”

Joshua looked hopefully over at Vasquez, and Vasquez felt a slight urge to comfort him but refrained. The other man’s face dropped, and he nodded before standing up.

“Okay. Where are we going?”

“My place.” Emma responded. “We have some colleagues that are waiting for us.”

Joshua frowned at her.

“I’m not walking into a room of trained assassins who were trying to kill me just this morning without backup.” He replied as evenly as he could.

Emma frowned.

“Well, what do you suggest?”

Joshua grinned at her.

“Let me make a quick call.”

  


“Goodnight Robicheaux!”

“Sam Chisholm!”

Joshua stared at Billy warily as Sam and Goody hugged it out in front of them, but oddly enough, Billy didn’t seem disturbed at all. That frightened Joshua even more, and he shifted away from the three slightly.

“You must be Joshua!” He jumped slightly and turned around to see a bear of a man standing next to him. The man clapped a hand on his shoulder and grinned at him. “Pleasure to meet you finally!”

Joshua grinned back as charmingly as he could under the circumstances.

“Err. Right! Nice to meet you too, um…”

“Jack.”

“Jack! Right. Of course.” Joshua looked around the room hoping to spot Vasquez, but he didn’t have any luck. The man hadn’t spoken to him the entire ride to Emma’s apartment and had hidden himself in a room with the woman the minute they walked in.

“That silent one over there is Red. He speaks English perfectly well. Don’t let him fool you.” Joshua stared at the man Jack motioned to and gave a slight nod. The other man just gazed back at him dispassionately before turning his head away. 

“So, Joshua! Ready to explain what’s going on here and why you called us over?” Goody asked drawing his attention back to the area near the front door.

“Um, right. About that-” Another man - Sam, Faraday thought he was called - interrupted him.

“Well, your friend here has apparently been working for Bart Bogue and thought he could just up and quit. So, now they’re trying to kill him and as a result trying to kill one of mine.”

And that did just about sum it up, didn’t it? Goody looked startled before looking over at Faraday.

“God damn it, son. Haven’t we taught you better than that? We’ve always told you to be careful who you accept jobs from!”

Billy just looked at him quietly.

Joshua wasn’t sure which was worse and quickly tried to defend himself. “Hey! The pay was good, and I didn’t know-”

“That’s just it, Joshua! You didn’t know. Do you know why you didn’t know? Because you didn’t bother to find out! I expected more from you.” Goody’s accent got thicker when he was upset Joshua noted.

“Do you see this man?” Goodnight pointed at Sam who was watching the interactions in front of him calmly. “Did you know that the man you worked for killed his entire family? Mother. Sisters. The lot of them. And tried to kill him too. It’s a miracle he’s standing here today. How many families do you think you’ve broken up?”

Billy reached over and touched Goody’s arm to get him to stop talking before turning to Joshua himself. “You fucked up.”

Joshua swallowed before looking over at Sam. How could this man stand to be in the same room as him. He wouldn’t be able to do it if their situations were reversed. He’d have already pulled out a weapon and fired.

Jesus fuck.

He moved to sit on Emma’s couch without responding. What should be do? Apologize? Would that even make a difference? Before he could reach a conclusion, Emma and Vasquez reentered the room, and the woman gestured for people to find a seat. Joshua was startled when the couch dipped next to him, and he looked over to find Vasquez.

The other man stared back at him for a moment before turning his attention to Sam who had begun describing some kind of strategy to take down Bogue and his minions.

Oh. And look at that. Apparently, Bogue was the one who blew up his car.

But Faraday couldn’t pay attention. He was overwhelmed with relief that Vasquez had acknowledged him even in this small way and couldn’t help leaning towards the other man slightly and letting out a shaky breath when Vasquez leaned into him as well.

  


It shouldn’t have surprised Vasquez that Emma dragged him off for a “talk” the second they reached her apartment. She literally sat him down on her bed and stood in front of him with her arms crossed.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Vasquez blinked at her. “What do you mean?”

“I mean you’re ignoring your husband and pretending he doesn’t exist.”

“I do not know what to say to him right now!”

“Well, do you still want to be with him?”

“How am I supposed to be with him after something like this!? We didn’t know each other at all.” Emma snorted. “You didn’t know each other’s occupations. That’s not the same thing as not knowing _each other_.”

“You wanted to kill him earlier!”

Emma rolled her eyes.

“I was pissed. I’ll get over it. Besides, we aren’t talking about me right now.” She sat down beside him. “You’re going to forgive him. You knew he was an idiot when you married him. How can you get angry about it now?”

“It’s not about forgiving him at this point. It’s about not knowing where we are going from here. If we can even _go_ on from here at all. What other parts of our relationship were lies? Lo siento. You should not have to deal with this. Este es mi lío.”

“Shut up, and stop being stupid. You lied too. You both messed up. But you want to get through this. I know you do because I know you, and I know how stupid you are over that moron. So I need you to stop wallowing, go out there, and give your husband some kind of sign that you two are going to make it.”

Vasquez looked at her before steeling himself and nodding. 

Joshua was looking at the carpet when Vasquez sat next to him, and Vasquez couldn’t miss the look of surprise and then hope that crossed his features when he looked up at him. God, he loved this fool.

Joshua had definitely messed up, but so did he. It was okay though. He looked around the room. They weren’t alone, and they were going to get through this. They would take out Bogue and talk things out and move the fuck on with their lives.

He felt the other man lean into him and stiffened for a second before leaning against him in return allowing them to support each other’s weight as they got comfortable on the couch.

“Vas, I-”

“Hush.” Vasquez whispered back. “I know.”

  


It isn’t until later that night when they were curled up together in Emma’s guest bedroom and the others had left, that they actually talked.

“I’m sorry I shot you. I mean- Christ, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to. Well, I meant to, but I wasn’t thinking. I don’t want you hurt. Ever. I just-”

Vasquez shushed him by pulling the blanket up over their shoulders as they stared straight at one another. Faraday worried, and it was obvious. His eyes were scanning over every inch of Vasquez’s face for some clue of what he was thinking, and Vasquez couldn’t help but reach beneath the blanket and link their fingers together, bringing their hands up, and kissing the back of the other man’s.

“I’m fine, guero. It was just a scratch. I am sorry for shooting at you.”

“I’m sorry I was stupid enough to work for someone like Bogue.”

“I’m sorry for lying to you, cariño.” Vasquez squeezed the other’s hand, and Joshua closed his eyes leaning forward until their foreheads touched.

“God. I’m sorry for lying to you too, sweetheart. So fuckin’ sorry.”

Vasquez leaned forward slightly and allowed their breaths to intertwine before brushing Joshua’s lips lightly with his own.

“We are going to be okay, cariño. I promise.”

Joshua looked at him for a moment seemingly gauging his sincerity before nodding.

“Okay,” he sighed, somewhat relieved. “I’m gonna hold you to that.”

**Author's Note:**

> So very much was left unresolved. Sorry about that. Maybe I'll write more one day.


End file.
